Path Not Taken

Context: Government could have avoided the pandemic induced socio-economic crisis through pre planned policy approach in the realms of imposing lockdown, ramping health infrastructure, and ensuring social safety net.

Policy Measures India could Have Taken to Avoid the Pandemic Crisis

• Preplanned Nationwide lockdown after consulting key stakeholders like public-health experts, epidemiologists, economists, social scientists.
• Focus on extensive testing, public education, and limited containment (like South Korea) 

• Instead of enforcing radical physical distancing and hygiene extended protection that favoured only privileged class.

• Explain scientific and economic reasoning behind lockdown: through open, regular, and empathetic press briefings.
• Ensure unconditional cash transfers and a universally expanded PDS (including also pulses and oil).

• For all Indians, this would cost not more than 3% of GDP, and a manageable depletion of India’s foodgrain stocks.

Step that can be taken

• Arrange for repayment of loan installments of MSMEs for six months. 
• Massive public spending based revival strategy (like New Deal in America): for an expanded employment guarantee programme, extended to urban India.
• Universal pensions at half the minimum wage: during the pandemic and its easy accessibility to an older person.
• Restore full passenger train operations: reserve all seats for a week for free travel by migrants on a first-come-first-serve basis. 
• Free water tankers to supply water in slum shanties throughout the day to enable people to wash their hands regularly and secure personal hygiene.
• Ramp up helplines for domestic violence, as well as mental health OPDs and places of safety for battered women.
• Empty custodial beggar, women and children’s homes for those in conflict with the law, and offer voluntary and dignified places of safety.
• For prisoners safety: grant bail or discharge all under-trial prisoners except those with the gravest charges. 
• Deploy all personnel, beds, and equipment of private hospitals for public use through ordinance order with no fees for diagnosis or treatment.
• Incentivized public and private corporations: for expanding production of PPEs, testing kits, and ventilators. 
• Ensure job and income security of frontline health workers: like ASHAs and ICDS workers, and sanitation workers. 
• Convert stadiums, universities, and hotels into hospitals and quarantine beds. 
• Ensure equal access to quality quarantine facilities.
• Funding: In addition to public spending impose a cess of 2% on the wealth of just the top 1% and an inheritance tax of 33%.